STATCOUNTER

April 2016

If you have breakfast at a McDonald’s, you can learn two important things. First, they now serve breakfast all day. And second, to quote the New York Times, “All-day breakfast drove the fast-food giant to a third straight quarter of positive results.” More specifically, “McDonald’s reported a 35 percent increase in profits…Propelled by its decision last fall to sell some breakfast items all day.”

However, perhaps the most important thing you can learn is what I have been preaching for years: All you need is a good idea. That’s the name of my book, my blog, my Twitter account, and almost the name of our puppy (we settled on Lulu). I have always maintained that the most important, most effective, most economical element of a marketing plan is the power of a good idea.

McDonald’s daylong breakfast is a wonderful example: Hmmm, let’s see. We could increase our sales force, raise prices, create some new items, serve two fewer French fries in each order. Or simply offer breakfast all day. Egg McMuffins and hash browns at 6:00 p.m.? Yes!

Is there something equally as simple that you might do to build your business? You’re probably not a restaurant, so expanding your menu isn’t the answer. And the idea needn’t be time based, such as opening up one hour earlier, or offering a guaranteed delivery time. But the good idea is probably standing right there, staring you in the face. But as obvious as it will seem—once you think of it—the tough part is getting past the invisibility of the familiar. And while you’re trying to come up with your good idea, guess where I’m going for breakfast tonight?

Corrosion of Conformity Live at Reds, Edmonton (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The pressure to conform has a very powerful influence on each of us. No one ever got in trouble by agreeing with the majority. Standing out, as in being different, can lead to being noticed. Which can lead to problems. After all, as my partner has often pointed out, no one at a large client ever got in trouble by recommending one of the large ad agencies, rather than taking a chance on a smaller, less well-known option.

The same is true on the agency side. Buying the same media, having the same look, having similar copy may not provide optimal results, but at least it minimizes the risk of taking a risk. And how bad can it be? After all, that’s the way most businesses are doing it. And it’s a relief to have the safety of conformity.

Of course, there is, fortunately, always the, “On the other hand.” Which came to mind when I saw this quote from Amy Pressman: “…There’s a lot of peer pressure to conform. So I really encourage people to explore, take chances and try different things.”

Yes, she was talking to college grads. But of course it applies as well to all creative efforts. Taking a chance is really what it is all about, if you actually want your work to be noticed. And Ms Pressman even has an answer to your next question, which is, what happens if it doesn’t work? “Don’t let the fear of failure — or even of imperfection — hold you back.”

Now this is easier said than accomplished. You may not actually have an interruptive idea. And if you do, your boss, or the client may not really want to rock the metaphorical boat. And you might be a little nervous about pushing back. So I will leave it up to Ms. Pressman once more with the final word: “Go out and do something that is holding you back and scares you.”

Well, that’s not exactly true. But the point is that I do my best to make each client feel as if they are the only client we have. And they seem to truly value it. Though it basically may just be another way of looking at providing great customer service, this approach helps me remember to give the personal attention all clients want.

It started years ago. My ad agency used a lot of freelance (1099) people. And when it came time to select, for example, an art director for the next assignment, I found that other things being equal, I gravitated to the ones who had the most positive attitudes. I hesitated going back to the ones who constantly complained about their workload, the conflicting schedules, and their problems with their latest client.

So I learned to never—well, as infrequently as possible—tell a client that he would have to wait because I was busy working on another client’s business. If necessary, I would add a little time to when I said I could get the work done. And I gave them my cell number, telling them they could call me anytime. I made myself available 24/7, and somehow, because they knew they could, clients rarely bothered me at odd times.

Yes, again, I understand this all comes under the heading of customer service. And many people claim to provide great service, and some actually do. But “the only client” idea does give it a distinctive spin. It’s a concept that separates me from for all the others who might talk about 24/7 availability. So when someone says they may have a client referral for me, I ask them to tell the prospect that they will be my only client.

It’s a unique distinguishing positioning. And it actually reminds me to make sure I live up to it.

In the port of old Antibes, in the south of France, there is a lighted sculpture, Le Nomade. It is over 25 feet tall, and as you get closer you realize it is made entirely of random letters. Which is the first thing I thought of when I saw the new ad for AT&T. The campaign focuses on their ampersand, and the graphic in the ad is of an ampersand composed entirely of ampersands in different colors and sizes.

And though that was the first thing I associated with the campaign, the second and third thoughts I had were that this is a clever idea, even if it is a little forced. The setup is: “Business has always been about compromise. Always having to decide between one choice or another. But with the rate of change increasing there’s no time for or. Now is the time for “&.”

The ad then goes on to list “Local & Global. Open & Secure, Human & Machines…and so on” The text explains, “In business, the companies that get ahead are the companies with the ability to do one thing and another at the same time.” While I get—and like—the concept, I think they could have expressed it more clearly (One thing and another?). And certainly there is no need for the overworked “Discover.” “The power of” works just as well with out it.

And this is the (boring) copy that explains Local & Global: “When your business is everywhere, visibility means everything. At AT&T, our network and solutions are helping companies of all sizes keep a closer eye on virtually all of their assets, no matter where in the world they may be.” To me, that’s a poor payoff, written by a corporation, not an individual. It doesn’t really explain the ampersand idea, and worse, you can easily replace AT&T in the copy with Verizon, or any other competitor, and it would work just as well, which is never a good thing. There is no spark, no humanity, and no personality. It is Ambien copy. (The kind of text you read when you want to be put to sleep.)

But getting back to the good news, this is a very clever way to increase brand and name recognition. Whoever thought of —and was able to sell—the concept of using the ampersand had great instincts. It is unexpected, relevant, surprising and has legs. Many companies try to use their name in their slogan, some more successfully than others. But rarely do you see a grammatical symbol taking center stage. (Here’s some interesting background on the ampersand, which has nothing to do with amps or sand.)

Is there something you can do with your slogan to focus on your business name? As you have seen, it doesn’t have to be the entire, or even the actual name. As long as it isn’t forced, obvious or expected, it can be effective. And obviously, even punctuation alone can work.